Level-winding of cable upon a reel



Dec 1968 5. N. BLISS LEVEL-WINDING OF CABLE UPON A REEL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 22. 1966 GEORGE N. BLISS INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS Dec. 17, 1968 N, uss 3,416,748

LEVEL-WINDING OF CABLE UPON A REEL Filed Nov. 22. 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 GEORGE N. BLISS INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,416,748 LEVEL-WINDING OF CABLE UPON A REEL George N. Bliss, 8620 106th SE.,

\ Renton, Wash. 98055 Filed Nov. 22, 1966, Ser. No. 596,189 2 Claims. (Cl. 242-458) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A level-wind structure employing an endless chain to move a carriage reciprocally between the two end limits of a reels spooling surface, with means provided to lengthen or shorten the chain in adapting the same to reels of different lengths.

This invention relates to the level-winding of cable upon a reel, and as with level-winding apparatus heretofore devised provides a shuttle-mounted fairlead used in conjunction with a power-driven reel or drum as a means of guiding the cable to obtain a proper lay of the latter as it is wound upon the reel, An operative inter-connection between the cable-guide and the reel co-ordinates the shuttle movement of the former to the rotation of the latter.

By far the majority of the level-winding structures heretofore devised have incorporated what is commonly known as a diamond-screw, unidirectionally driven, as a means of imparting reciprocatory slide movement to the cableguide. Others have used a reversible worm. One disadvantage inherent to both systems is that the follower nuts which work on the screw or worm, as the case may be, are stopped and started abruptly as a change of the nuts travel direction takes place. These systems also impose rather substantial thrust forces upon the bearings in which the screw or worm are journaled, and consequently require for their operation more power than would be the case if the thrust loading were absent.

One object of the present invention is to devise a level- Wind structure obviating the above disadvantages by em-' ploying an endless driven chain as the means responsible for shuttling the cable-guide between two end limits of reciprocatory travel.

A further and important object is to provide a levelwind structure which can be easily and quickly adjusted so as to adapt itself to the winding of cable upon reels of various lengths.

With these and yet additional objects and advantages in view which will appear and be understood in the course of the following description and claims, the invention consists in the novel construction and in the adaptation and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Description of drawings FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating a level-wind structure embodying preferred teachings of a present invention. A cable being guided by the structure is shown in phantom, as are parts of frame pieces which support the indicated structure and a reel on which the cable is being wound. The reel is deleted from the view.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary end view thereof, with the reel included, and drawn to a reduced scale.

FIG. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view on line 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view on the jogged line 44 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view on line 5-5 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged-scale fragmentary elevational view detailing the construction of the chain responsible Patented Dec. 17, 1968 for moving the cable-guide in its reciprocatory slide movement.

Description of invention Referring to said drawings, a reel on which cable C is to be Wound is denoted by the numeral 10. The reel is fitted on two co-axial spindles 11 and 12 which extend inwardly from spaced-apart mounting heads 14 and 13, respectively. The reel turns freely upon the spindle :11. Spindle 12 is square in section to fit in a mating socket of the reel, and is a live spindle driven by a chain 15 reduction-powered from a reversible motor (not shown).

The structure of the present invention is here shown as receiving its support from a horizontal frame member 16, with the mounting head 13 being hung directly therefrom and the head 14 hung from a U-shaped bracket 17 which is secured to a frame-supported horizontal beam 18 located parallel to the reels rotary axis in a position overhead and to one side of the reel. The beam performs the function of a track and has an inverted U- shape in cross-section providing side walls 20 depending from a top wall 21, and with inturned flanges 22 along the bottom. The flanges serve as track rails for a cartridge 23.

Said carriage is provided at each of its two ends with sets of six rollers. Two rollers 24 in each set are journaled to turn about a vertical axis and occupy the gap between the two flanges 22, bearing upon end edges of the latter. The remaining rollers 25 in each set are journaled to turn about transverse horizontal axes and bear upon the top and bottom faces of the flanges. By means hereinafter to be described the carriage moves reciprocally betweentwo end limits of travel. An eyed leg depends from the carriage. The eye 26 serves as a fairlead and at said two limits of carriage travel occupies positions correlated to the two ends of the winding surface of the reel 10.

An endless chain 30 shuttles the carriage in its re ciprocal movement. Housed within the hollow center of the beam 18 in a position overlying the carriage, this chain is trained about live and idler sprocket wheels 31 and 32, respectively, which are journaled to turn about vertical axes occupying a common plane coinciding with the longitudinal median line of the gap in which the carriage works. The chain connects with the carriage by a moderately long horizontal link 33 having one of its ends pivoted to a vertical pin 34 which depends as a prolongation from one of the pivot pins which connects the links of the chain and having its other end pivoted to a vertical pin 35 which is fixed to the carriage.

The shaft 36 for the live sprocket wheel 31 is drivecoupled to the reel-driving spindle 12 so that the reciprocatory slide motion of the carriage is correlated to the rotation of the reel. A transfer chain 37 carries the drive from the spindle 12 to a jack-shaft 38, and intermeshing bevel gears 40-41 pass the drive from the jack-shaft to the shaft 36.

As an adaptation to reels of different lengths, the bracket 17 is removably bolted to the track 18 and by employing selected bolt holes 42 admits of being shifted longitudinally of the track into a selected one of several adjusted positions each correlate-d to a respective one of several reel lengths. In compensation of this permitted change in the length of the reel, it is perforce necessary that the chain 30 also have its length adjusted. This I accomplish by adding or removing links 43 to or from the chain, as the change in the length of the reel requires, and re-setting the idler sprocket wheel. A row of selectively used holes 44, for the pin 45 on which the idler sprocket wheel is journaled, are formed in the top wall 21 of the beam, these holes being spaced in correspondence with the spacing between the bolt holes 42. A shortening or lengthening of the chain is easily accomplished by first moving the carriage to the inner extreme of its shuttle travel. In this position link 33 gives support to the inner end of the chain so that the same is held upon the driving sprocket wheel. Removable pins 46 which pivotally connect the links of the chain have their upper ends threaded and present Allen heads at the lower end.

The ratio between the spindle 12 and the shaft 36 is such that the carriage, throughout very nearly the full extent of its slide travel, progresses for each revolution of the reel a distance corresponding to the diameter of the cable C, thus placing the several cable turns of each level of wrap in contiguous relation. Pin 34, upon reaching the end limit of one linear run of the chain 30 and travelling through a half-circle arc to the initiating point of the other linear run, has its travel speed reduced to zero and then gradually increased. As compared with the instant start and stop action of the above-mentioned diamond-screw and worm structures, said decelerating and accelerating travel is advantageous as a means of causing the second turn of cable at the initiating end of each wrap to be pressed tightly against the first turn. The result is to obtain full wraps.

It is thought that the invention and the manner of its working will have been clearly understood from the foregoing detailed description. Changes in the details of construction can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and it is accordingly my intention that no limitations be implied and that the hereto annexed claims be given the broadest interpretation to which the employed language fairly admits.

What is claimed is:

1. In a level-winding structure, the combination with a cable-receiving reel mounted for rotation: a means for rotating the reel, a carriage having means thereon for guiding the cable to the reel, a guide supporting the carriage for slide movement along a travel path laterally spaced from the reel and paralleling the rotary axis of the latter, means which includes an endless chain connected by one of its links with the carriage and operating by cyclic travel of said link to move the carriage reciprocally on the guide travelling in each direction a distance which approximates the length of the winding surface of the reel, and means operatively interconnecting the chain with the reel to coordinate the slide travel of the carriage with the rotation of the reel, the guide for the carriage comprising a hollow beam which lies in overhead relation to the reel and is formed so as to produce a box track from which the carriage is suspended by sets of rollers carried by the carriage, the rollers in one of said sets being journaled for rotation about vertical axes and working in the longitudinal median slot which the box track provides, the rollers in others of said sets being journaled for rotation about horizontal axes and bearing upon the flanges which lie at opposite sides of said slot, the chain being housed within the hollow interior of the beam trained about live and idler sprocket wheels journaled for rotation about vertical axes occupying the vertical plane in which said slot of the box track lies.

2. Level-Winding structure according to claim 1, the idler sprocket wheel being mounted so that the same may occupy a selected one of several positions spaced at different distances from the live sprocket Wheel, the chain being formed so that its length may be easily shortened or extended in a degree which compensates the same to the several positions into which the idler sprocket wheel can be shifted.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 387,081 7/1888 Legg 74 254 737,749 9/1903 Levalley 74254 1,186,909 6/1916 Huttelmaier 242-l58 1,753,503 4/1930 Colman 242158 1,935,585 11/1933 Tornblom 242-158 2,340,436 2/1944 Stone et al. 242-158 2,551,362 5/1951 Carter et al 24268.4 2,941,746 6/1960 Hunt 242l58 3,250,493 5/1966 Burkley et al. 242-158 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,035,526 4/1953 France.

362,145 8/1938 Italy.

647,565 10/ 1962 Italy.

STANLEY N. GILREATH, Primary Examiner. 

